The present invention relates to space planning, such as the preparation of floor plans and furniture arrangements in buildings and the landscape planning of yards and the like. The invention has particular application to apparatus and methods for facilitating such planning operations.
Space planning may take several forms. For example, in the case of new construction or the remodeling of existing construction, such planning typically includes the original design of a floor plan layout or the modification of an existing floor plan. Such planning also includes the planning of the placement of furnishings and fixtures in the rooms of a building. Space planning also includes exterior planning such as landscape planning for yards and the like, including the selection and placement of plants and the placement of exterior structures. All such space planning is typically done by drawing the plans on paper, which normally requires the skill of a professional. Preliminary plans are drawn, and these undergo a series of changes and revisions to arrive at a final plan. Each such change or revision in the plan, therefore, entails the preparation of new drawings or the modification of existing drawings, which is an expensive and time-consuming procedure.
Magnetic space planning kits have been developed for the use of professionals. Such kits include a magnetic work surface and a number of magnetic elements in the shapes of furniture, fixtures or any other type of article to be located in the space being designed, these elements being magnetically positioned on the work surface. This greatly facilitates plan modification, since the elements can be easily moved around on the work surface. However, such magnetic kits are heavy, bulky and quite expensive.
Planning kits have also been provided utilizing light and less bulky materials, such kits being disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pats. No. 4,250,642, No. 4,245,401 and No. 4,148,148. But such kits have utilized work sheets of complex composite construction and/or use relatively rigid graphic symbol elements.